New Warriors #2 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (artist), Daniel Curiel (color artist)

The Story: Spurned by the X-Men, the Evolutionaries throw millennia of planning out the window and decide to back a new, more human, horse.

The Review: With the team’s final member making his appearance at the start of issue #2, New Guardians is clearly taking care with how the titular heroes come together. It’s an impressively varied group, but this is the time to prove that the execution will live up to its concept. In that respect, New Warriors #2 is a bit unsteady.

Picking up where we left off last month, this issue opens with our disparate heroes facing off with teams of Evolutionaries. These adversaries are imposing, thanks in no small part to Marcus To’s artwork, but despite the sheer number of conflicts, none of them justify the issue. It’s not that the book lacks spectacle, but that none of these fights feel like the core struggle. I suspect that this will seem less of a problem in trade, but as it’s probably going to be half a year before we see one, Chris Yost should really be providing a stronger arc in each issue.

The Evolutionaries also lose some of their menace this go around. At times this seems like a conscious choice, but in some cases it just diminishes the story. They whine too much and retreat too frequently, though hints of a greater plan keep them aloft.

With thirteen pages devoted to battles with the Evolutionaries or superhero infighting, Yost has to make his remaining seven count. Justice gets some much needed time to shine in the form of a visit to Avengers Tower. This scene could probably have sped up its exposition slightly, but is decidedly helpful to new readers and conveys Justice’s concern without making him seem dull. Then again, maybe it’s just the fact that he’s standing next to ol’ Slim Summers.

New Warriors #1 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (art), David Curiel (color art)

The Story: Clearly Robbie hasn’t been listening to Edwin Starr or Louis C.K…

The Review: Launching a series is a complicated thing. There are all sorts of different requirements that a first issue holds above all other books and it can be nearly impossible to craft the perfect opening to many worthwhile stories. Team books can have an even harder time. How do you bring potentially disparate heroes together, define personalities, and establish what a series will be all in a scant twenty pages?

For New Warriors #1 the answer seems to be breadth. This issue is aware that it’s not a team book yet and it’s unapologetic about it. Held together by a single mystery and a tempting opening page, this issue takes us on a regular tour of North America as we meet our future Warriors.

There’s certainly a sense of youth in this book, even Kaine, apparently the oldest member of the not-yet-team, is accompanied by the cheerful Hummingbird. Kaine is also probably one of the highest profile characters in the book. In some ways that’s refreshing, in others kind of sad. It’s rare that a book from DC or Marvel can claim that its most marketable team member is a recently revived veteran of one of the 90s’ most reviled events, but his sullen, brusque demeanor is an instant draw. Chris Yost does a good job of balancing the off-putting nature of such a reluctant hero against the reality of his recent experience and, if his interactions with Aracely are any indication, he’ll be a fine counterweight to the rest of the team. The pair are a delight to read and their powers are highlighted expertly, perhaps evidence of Yost’s familiarity with them. If you’re not intrigued by the descriptor “Demigod, Manipulation of Emotions, Levitation” I don’t know what to say to you.

Avenging Spider-Man #22 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (Writer), David Lopez (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: Mysterio is loose in New York as he has gathered the attention of both Spider-Ock and the Punisher. Yet, is everything all that it seems?

The Review: Avenging Spider-Man is a dead title, as it will soon be replaced by another one, called Superior Spider-Man Team-Up (a book I shall review). As the title concludes, Christopher Yost gives us what he did best on this title: single issues story that had a beginning, middle and a conclusion. Here, we see Spider-Ock dealing with a new Mysterio, as per the whole ‘’Sinister Six’’ deal his story had while he also deals with Frank Castle. However, does this single story make for a good ending point toward the renumbering and the newer title this series will get?

The short answer would be no, as the story itself does not really deal clearly with a new status quo or even with new methods until the last page and it’s not exactly something naturally added to the story. However, this does not make this issue bad in any way, as the story itself is still fairly enjoyable with some twists and turns and some good interactions from Spider-Ock with other characters from the Marvel universe.

Avenging Spider-Man #21 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (Writer), Marco Checchetto (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: Spider-Ock fights some Russians to save the Chameleon in the midst of a battle on a S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier.

The Review: With this story about Chameleon and the Secret Avengers being the first two-parter that Chris Yost has written on his tenure on this title, I had no idea just what to expect. As he had usually done done-in-one issues with a clear beginning, middle and end, I wasn’t sure if he’d still be able to pull it off in the same way he did those tight stories. Now, with the second and final part of this story being here, does Yost uses all the setup he had built up in the previous issue in an effective way?

Avenging Spider-Man #20 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (Writer), Marco Checchetto (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: Spider-Ock gets on a S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier in order to free the Chameleon from their prison, just as the Russian are getting ready to do the same. What are the odds?

The Review: I do have to say it’s a strange time to be a fan of Spider-Man. It’s even a stranger time to begin reading Spider-Man, like I did, just as a big controversial change had been put in the series. While the change from Peter Parker to Otto Octavius has been a rather weird one for a lot of people, it can’t be said that it hasn’t given us some quality stories in both the main title, Superior Spider-Man and its sister title Avenging Spider-Man. While it has been fun to see just how Otto acclimates to the life of being a webhead, it has been a blast to see just how he interacts with the larger Marvel universe as well. Having seen him with the X-Men, the FF and Thor, it has been fun to read how he sees them all and it has given us some surprisingly fun stories to boot.

A + X #7 – Review

By: Zeb Wells, Christopher Yost (Writers), Dale Keown, Orphans Cheeps aka R’John Bernales & Chris Turcotte (Penciler/Artists), Norman Lee (Inker), Morry Hollowell (Color Artist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

Review: “Thor and Iceman team-up in one of the most visually amazing tales you’ve ever seen!”: thus reads the solicitation for this month’s A+X, and, for once, the marketing team ain’t blowing smoke up your apertures. See that cover? Yeah, that’s Orphans Cheeps. They are oh so good, a burst of retina-crumbling illustration so awesome that…wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s two parts to this book after all and each are enjoyable in their own right. Let me wipe the ocular slobber from my cheeks, run down what else this book does well, and then I’ll get back to the praise-makin’.

Avenging Spider-Man #18 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (Writer), Marco Checchetto (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

The Story: Spider-Ock and Thor battles Electro as he is back to Earth after being sent away by the god of thunder.

The Review: With the last issue being a whole shenanigan of craziness with time-travelling agencies, genius kids, Death-Head yet with a somewhat disappointing payoff, what could possibly come after a team-up with the Future Foundation? How about a team-up with the god of thunder himself: Thor?

Continuing the tradition of this title, Spider-Ock teams here with the son of Odin, dealing with something that had happened prior in the spider-corner of the Marvel universe, back in Ends of the Earth when Thor shot out Electro in space. With Electro now back to exact revenge on Asgard own favorite son, the issue shows just how far Electro is willing to go to do just that, as we see the strength of his resolve and see some more of his character as a result.

X-Men #15 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Paco Medina and Dalibor Talajic (pencillers), Dalibor Talajic, Juan Vlasco (inkers), Marte Gracia (colorist)

The Story: First To Last, Conclusion: The past and present encounters with the Evolutionaries converge on Cyclops and his choices, past and present. At stake… the survival of humanity.

What’s Good: I continue to be delighted with the artwork, and the stylistic differences between past and present. The less heroic, and even anti-heroic, tone and physiques in the past really give a sense of how far the X-Men, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and by extension, the Marvel Universe, have come. Magneto is wider, less sleek, and less in command of himself and the world, due in large part to Talajic’s unique pencil and in work. Cyclops is similarly a shadow of the impressive leader he will be in the future. In the present, modern heroism is shown in its full glory with tight action, exciting layouts and swift action.

X-Men #14 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Paco Medina, Dalibor Talajic (pencillers), Dalibor Talajic, Juan Vlasco (inkers), Marte Gracia and Wil Quintana (colorists)

The Story: “First to Last, Part 4” opens up more of the past of the Evolutionaries (2.7M years ago) and of the original X-Men in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants era. And in the present, for good measure, the X-Men are getting their tails kicked.

What’s Good: We’re in high second act here. The action and the revelations are hitting quickly. Yost is doing one of the more difficult things in serial storytelling, which is to successfully pull off a big retcon by stitching new events and plots into the old X-Men tapestry without tearing or unbalancing anything. Some places this has been done well have been Deadly Genesis and Uncanny X-Men First Class (see WCBR’s coverage). As things are going, I would certainly put “First to Last” up there with those well-done retcons. The revelations coming from two time periods is pretty cool. I’m wondering if we’re going to see the Eternals as part of this and what made Phaestus set in motion this genocide tool. Yost makes the present more tense with things really going downhill (“We need Cyclops!” and “Cyclops, what did you do?”). What other hidden sins (on top of creating the X-Force death squad) does Cyclops have in his closet?

Artwise, I was very pleased. The juxtaposition of Medina’s and Talajic’s styles for the time periods was awesome and both the Evolutionaries and Magento in the past and present were artistic scene-stealers. Medina and Talajic imbued both with such restrained menace and danger that I kept waiting for the shoe to drop. And the poses and expressions of Magento and the Brotherhood in the past were excellent. I’m a full-on fan of the artwork.

X-Men #12 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Paco Medina, Dalibor Talajic (pencillers), Juan Vlasco, Dalibor Talajic (inkers), Marte Gracia (colors)

The Story: First to Last, Part 2: In three different times (2.7 million years ago, in the early issues of the original X-Men, and now) we learn about the evolutionaries. They are looking for the leader of mutantkind to speak for all mutants, to prevent homo superior from going extinct.

What’s Good: I thought that the art in the now (and 2.7 mya) by Medina and Vlasco was pretty strong. Although some of the early primates seemed a bit plastic, the wolves were not, and the Eternals were visually impressive. The modern scenes were even stronger. The evolutionaries facing Cyclops in the debris of Utopia seemed to live in the kind of chaotic, gritty atmosphere that makes the best use of the styles of Medina and Vlasco. The heroes are dynamic, the villains menacing and the smoky background looks to be crumbling around the story. The quick switches from character reaction to character reaction were effective and the choice of camera angles and zoom-ins were powerful. Check out the close-up on the evolutionary leader’s eyes right before the splash page attack on Cyclops.

Writing-wise, I’m loving this arc. Yost is surfacing an ancient mystery with huge stakes (the survival of the two extant species of homo). The slow reveal, the bubbling anger and impatience on the side of the heroes, plus Cyclops’ mysterious orders drive the tension right up. And the toggling between the past and present is very effective in unfolding the coolness of this story and revealing the true menace of the evolutionaries. Also, seeing Magneto in any setting is a treat, but seeing him in his full villainous glory brings a nostalgic pang to my heart.

X-Men Giant-Size #1 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Paco Medina and Dalabor Talajic (pencillers), Juan Vlasco and Dalabor Talajic (inkers), Marte Gracia and Wil Quintana (colorists), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Axel Alonso and Nick Lowe (editors)

The Story: First to Last, Part I: In this new arc, the Neos, another mutant offshoot of humanity (different from homo superior) is attacking the increasingly misnamed Utopia. The neo’s have lost the ability to reproduce, as homo superior had done for a while, and now that mutants are being born again, they want the secret to what’s up. This battle royale drudges up some buried memories in Scott, really old ones, from the original X-Men’s first year: He suddenly remembers a run-in with the evolutionaries that he was supposed to have forgotten.

The Review: My first reaction to reading X-Men Giant-Size #1 was: “That was pretty cool.” Superb art led the way, starting with a planet-scape, then dipping under the cloud-deck, and into a cave and some newborns. The detail, draftsmanship and colors were beautifully natural and the following action dramatic and clear. In the present-day, the clouds in the background of the giant neo were spectacular and the fight scene pretty awesome, although from time to time, the “cameras” zoomed in too close, and it was tough to follow the blow-by-blow. The shift in art teams between past and present was a useful tool to highlight the change in setting and there were some nice old-school touches to the scenes in the past. My favorites were the Kirby-esque action poses, Magneto’s not-form-fitting costume, Magneto’s general portliness (you get a no-prize if you remembered that he started off as a middle-aged man before being turned into a child by Mutant Alpha in Defenders #16 and then aged back to his prime adult strength by Eric the Red just before Uncanny X-Men #104), and even Wanda’s sixties sort of physique (instead of the ultra-svelte pneumatic women that populate comics since the 80s). All-in-all, some very fine artwork.

Writing-wise, Yost has brought a piece of high-concept sci-fi to the X-universe. The introduction of the mystery of the evolutionaries, the hurtling fight scene right out of the gates, and the neat resolution of the plot challenge of the neo’s all launched this arc strongly. I felt propelled along the story and wanting more of this *big idea*. The dialogue worked, and the characters were mostly honest. Where they weren’t honest (Bobby’s exaggerated quipping in two time periods, Wolverine’s idiotic back-stabbing on the neo and Emma’s inexplicable failure to wake up their best strategist while they’re being attacked), I could see why Yost had chosen to fudge a bit, for dramatic effect, but since I’ve read some pretty flawless books by this writer, I felt he’d cut a couple of corners he didn’t need to.

X-Force: Sex + Violence (Graphic Novel Review)

Written by Criag Kyle and Christopher Yost, Art by Gabrielle Dell’Otto

I rarely start with price, and even more so, I never recommend a book that the price costs more than the individual issues (like the Siege hardcover edition)…but in this case, I have to change my stance. Sure, Sex + Violence is only a three issues long, making the cover price total only 11.97, and the hardcover is priced at 19.99 (it also includes the New X-Men Annual 2001 by Grant Morrison), which seems like a pretty big hike, and it is. But it’s worth it. It’s actually an oversized hardcover, which is no less than Gabrielle Dell’Otto deserves. And let’s be honest, that’s what we’re paying for.

Sex + Violence was first announced at the 2009 New York Comic Con, but wasn’t released until August 2010, after Second Coming ended along with Kyle and Yost’s phenomenal run on X-Force. In fact, the story takes place closer to the beginning of their run. Whatever the reasons were for the exceedingly long delay, it was worth it. The concept is simple–Domino and Wolverine kill a lot of people and have crazy sex between the slaughters. Seems that Domino somehow managed to really piss off the Assassin’s Guild…something about a shit-ton of money and Russian girls. Who cares, it’s a Macguffin and the best kind–the kind that gives us, well, sex and violence. But it’s also not just cool for the sake of cool (okay, these are superhero comics, I guess it’s all cool for the sake of cool in the end, but that’s beside the point). Kyle and Yost aren’t just going “hey, look how edgy we can be!” All of the sex, all of the violence, works to highlight the story. By the time X-Force joins in for backup at the end (in one of the most glorious double page spreads in the history of comics), it’s quite clear–for this superhero team, sex and violence are hardly two separate things. Especially for Domino and Wolverine.

X-Men: Second Coming – Review

Writers: Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Matt Fraction, Zeb Wells, and Mike Carey

Pencillers: David Finch, Terry Dodson, Ibraim Roberson, Greg Land, and Mike Choi with Stuart Immonen, Lan Medina, Nathan Fox, and Esad Ribic.

And so here it is: the last installment of the “Messiah Trilogy” or Messianic X Cycle (Say it. Make it catch on!). We’ve been through Endangered Species, Messiah Complex and Messiah War. Now it’s time for Second Coming, the event that concludes three years of X-Men stories. It’s been some of the darkest times in X-Men history. They’ve exiled themselves to an island nation after Norman Osborne and the Dark Avengers attacked them in San Francisco (Read Utopia for that), which then caused Magneto to return—with his powers back—and pledge allegiance to Cyclops. The Black Queen raised an army of dead mutants to attack their new home (Necrosha). In the meantime, Cyclops has been sending his own wet works team out to kill every threat to mutant kind, and they kill plenty. And Cable is off the future raising Hope, the mutant messiah, in a wasteland of a timeline literally blown to pieces by Bishop.  But X-Force has killed pretty much all except for their first target: Bastion, the robot-made-man-then-decapitated-and-later-made-cyborg-by-attaching-the-head-onto-a-Nimrod-sentinel-from-the-future. You know, one of those. And Cable has stranded Bishop in a future so distant that the sun is about to consume the Earth. It’s time for Hope to go back to the present and join the X-Men.

Now, that creative team. Well…it’s not the magic we had in Messiah Complex, nor is it the uniqueness we had in Messiah War. Kyle and Yost basically own this series. Pretty much every majorly important thing that happens in Second Coming happens in their issues.  Still, Mike Carey and Zeb Wells are both fantastic too. In fact, Zeb Well’s is surprisingly good as he was the one writer everyone expected to fall short. Unfortunately, it’s Matt Fraction’s writing that sticks out like an ugly chick in a swimsuit catalog. It’s not always bad, but it’s hard to believe that Fraction read a single issue of Cable or X-Force before writing Hope. When Wells, Kyle, Yost, and Carey are writing, the character is consistent. Yet Fraction writers her (and I’ve said this before) like a bipolar Pixie. His transitions are awful. At the end of the first act, Colossus is freaking out about Illyana being sent to limbo but shuts up when he sees Kurt’s dead body.  Fraction begins act two with Colossus smiling and suggesting a vampire movie to Kittie as she’s confined to her ghost chamber. What the hell? Everyone who was in the field are still standing around Kurt, he’s scared to death that his sister is dead too, and for some reason he takes the time to rent Twilight for his ghost girlfriend? And the thing is…that’ not even the only inconsistent part. Let’s move to the transition between act 2 and 3. In the end of Act 2, Beast gives an update of the wounded, including the fact that “Iceman has third degree energy burns over 25% of his body.” That sounds relative serious and a good reason why Iceman should be out of the game, right? Apparently not because we see Iceman without a scratch taking down a Nimrod with Psylocke and Fantomex. At this point, the other writers seem to have said “F it. Fraction ignored his injuries, we’ll use Iceman too.” What made Messiah Complex and Messiah War awesome was the proof that the writers were working together. In Second Coming we get four writers who do and one who ignores his peers. Having said that, the times Fraction is good, he’s really good. When Nightcrawler learns about X-Force in the second chapter was very well written as was the very last segment of the crossover, which we’ll get into later since it’s the end, but Fraction makes up for a lot of his bad writing there. Nightcrawler’s funeral…. not so much. But back to the writers who really brought their best to the plate. Carey is unsurprising. His last full issue of Cypher taking down the Nimrods is superb (in its writing…we’ll talk about art next). He writes every character perfectly. Even when he’s thrown a new one like Hope, it’s like he sat down, read every issue of Cable took a deep breath and said “yeah, I see what Swierczynksi’s doing with her. She’s not just young female Cable, but she is her father’s daughter nonetheless” and then wrote her. Prodigy describes Hope as the “voodoo doll for the whole mutant race.” Carey is basically the voodoo doll of every X-writer, and yet, like Hope, still has his own kind of power. Wells gives the best line of foreshadowing ever. When Hope and Dani are fighting, Dani says “I’m not the person you want to be putting your hands on.” The fact that Hope powering mutants by touch doesn’t happen until after Second Coming, and only for newly powered mutants, makes this line pretty awesome when returning to the crossover. But his best writing is in the first chapter of the last issue (confusing, I know) when he writers from Professor X’s point of view after Hope destroys Bastion and simply wants to curl up next to what is left of her father, and then when she wakes up and talks to Magneto for a little bit. We get the two seniors of the X-Men and both written so wonderfully. And Kyle and Yost? Well, seriously, their last X-Force issue when Hope comes into power is just fantastic, but it’s also their little beats along the way. For instance, at the end of act two, as Cyclops is about to send Cable and X-Force on a suicide mission. Wolverine blames Hope for what happened to Kurt,  but instead of telling Cable to hurry up and move out, he tells him to “get on with it.” “Get on with it” basically telling Cable to go to Hope, tell her he loves her, and goodbye. They (Cable and Wolverine) both know they’re going to die. Not even Wolverine can be callous towards a daughter about to lose her father, even if she doesn’t know it. And it prepares the reader. Why would Wolverine think it important to make sure Cable does this? Because a few pages later, Cyclops admits to having sent them all to die.

Onto art…sadly, the crossover falters a lot in this department. The only main artists that fit here are Ibraim Roberson and Mike Choi (all the “with” artists do no harm). And while Terry Dodson’s art isn’t bad in any way, it just doesn’t match the story. It’s jarring. His art would be great for a fun Spider-Man story, but for the story about the X-Men making their honest-to-god last stand? It’s just not serious enough. But at least Dodson’s art has quality. Because the fact they not only included Greg Land and his pornographic style, but paired him with one of the best writers of the series is just a sin. A comic book sin. His style doesn’t match, and his art is just bad. Every woman looks exactly the same. At one point it really looks like he just drew the same female boy twice but gave one a gun to indicate which was Hope and which was Rogue. And let’s not forget the most awful double page spread ever where he cuts out Hope’s legs but gracefully leaves her vagina. But we’ve heard every Greg Land complaint a thousand times before, so let’s just move on. You know who really should have been the artists here? Well, everyone from Messiah Complex would have worked, but instead, I would have loved to see Ariel Olivetti and Clayton Crain. Pairing them with Choi and Roberson would have given that “this is it” feeling to the entire story. And I really would have loved to see Olivetti’s Nimrods. That would have been awesome. Oh well.

X-Force/Cable: Messiah War – Review

Written by Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, and Duane Swierczynski, Art by Mike Choi, Sonia Oback, Ariel Olivetti, and Clayton Crain

So far, we’ve looked at Endangered Species (the tone-setter to the Messiah Trilogy), and Messiah Complex, the first actual part of the trilogy. This week we’ve got Messiah War, the often-criticized second installment. Being hailed as the sequel to one of the greatest X-Men stories that have ever been told might have set up expectations this much smaller crossover could never live up to. However, it does seem that recent feedback of Messiah War has been much more positive than when it was originally released. Yet even with more positive criticism, the biggest question remains: Is this story actually relevant to the Messiah Trilogy?

Absolutely.

The first question is always “what happens?” Maybe this is where Messiah War is lacking, because it can be summed up too easily. Bishop teams up with Stryfe to kill Cable and Hope. That’s kind of it. Of course, Bishop doesn’t tell Stryfe about Hope or how important she is—good or evil. To gain Stryfe’s allegiance, Bishop tracks down a weakened Apocalypse and helps Stryfe kill his father…or maker. Meanwhile, Cyclops is freaking out and has Beast make time machines for X-Force so that they can go the future, retrieve Cable, and bury Bishop six feet under. When X-Force arrive in the future, they find themselves trapped in a time net…thing. There seems to be a lot going on for a seven issue story, but the one criticism I do have on the series is that it’s about one issue too long. There’s a bit of padding early in the story, especially dealing with Deadpool.

Which brings us to the writers. This goes for all three—their writing in the second half of the crossover is much stronger than the first. The consistency that was so strong in Messiah Complex got off to a rough start in War (yet there will still be a worse example) as Swierczysnki didn’t seem to understand Kyle and Yost’s style, and vice versa. By the fourth chapter, however, they begin to move as one, and for the rest of the story, that unity of storytelling is much stronger. We also get into the heads of the characters a lot more than we did in Complex or we will in Second Coming. Our three scribes move between Cable, Bishop, Stryfe, Archangel, and finally Apocalypse (though only Kyle and Yost write from his point of view, sadly) in a way that doesn’t feel unnatural. What hurts the writing most, early on, was the need to recap the events of Messiah Complex and Cable for the reader. And Kyle and Yost, who wrote the first chapter, actually take a while to do this—again, stretching time. It makes sense that they would, considering that a lot of the readers coming on would be new ones wanting the sequel to Complex, but it was a bit much.

X-Men: Messiah Complex – Review

Writers: Ed Brubaker, Peter David, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, and Mike Carey

Pencilers: Mark Silvestri, Billy Tan, Scot Eaton, Humberto Ramos, and Chris Bachalo

There probably will be spoilers in this about the entire Messiah Trilogy. Thou hath been warned!

Last week I wrote about Endangered Species and how it set the tone for Messiah Trilogy and everything that follows. Now it’s time to get into the real meat of the Messiah Trilogy with the crossover event Messiah Complex.  Rereading this for probably the 100^th time, I can say this right off the bat—it still gets better with every read. Complex is simply one of the best stories to have come out in comics in years. Out of all the major events in the past ten years, I honestly hold Messiah Complex as the best. Does it have its faults? Of course. Every story no matter how well told will always have a few glitches, no matter how minor. But just looking at the entire Messiah saga, Complex has the strongest writing and the strongest art (Well, Messiah War has fantastic art, but it’s not exactly the same. Next week…next week). So before we get into the story and how it works in this trilogy as a whole—and the implications of some of the scenes/motifs—let’s look at this awesome creative team.

First off, did you see that list of writers? If that’s not a perfect group of writers, then I don’t know what is. Just going by these names, anyone who picks up this graphic novel should know that they’re in for a great read. Each writer is great—and more importantly, they’re consistent. Of course it’s important for a writer to stand out on their own, but in a crossover—especially one as big as Messiah Complex and the later Second Coming, consistency in style and tone is extremely important. It may be five writers, but the story should read one. The reader should not notice a change in writers, and the fact that Brubaker and company were able to do this not only proves how talented they are, but also show their ability to work with other great writers—knowing when to pick up traits or possibly give suggestions—and create a great story as one. In one of the two sequels to Messiah Complex, we’ll definitely see instances of one writer not wanting to play with the others because the abrupt shifts in characterization and tone scream at the reader (I’ll keep you guessing for now, but I’m sure most of you know which story I’m talking about).  I am all for individuality, and if you read all these writers’ respective books, you can get that. But seeing so many talented people working together is one of the biggest treats of the book.

X-Men: Endangered Species – Review

Written by Mike Carey, Christopher Yost, and Christos Gage

Penciled by Scot Eaton, Mark Bagely, Mike Perkins, Tom Grummett, and Andrea Divito

For the next four weeks, I’m going to give a closer look at the Messiah Trilogy that has consumed the X-Verse for the last three years. I know what you’re thinking: if it’s a trilogy, why are there going to be four posts? That doesn’t add up. Well, no, it might not, but there is a fourth story that I believe is crucial to the experience of these X-Men events. That Story is Endangered Species. It’s a depressing piece, filled with crushed hope and doomed times. All in all, it’s perfect.

The event that truly started all of this was House of M, written by Brian Michael Bendis. It’s a shame, really, because House of M changed so much of the X-Verse and nothing at all in the Avengers world, yet an the Avenger writer wrote the story that would alter the course of X-Men stories forever—or at least for a decade or more. House of M was a horribly written story that made very little sense with repercussions that didn’t add up (and this is coming from a Bendis fan). The Scarlet Witch casts a spell for “no more mutants.” Except most of the X-Men and their key villains keep their powers. Oh, and what was supposed to be 198 mutants left is clearly wrong as “undiscovered” mutants pop up everywhere. However, what the X-writers have done with the concept of an endangered species has been incredible—and future stories are very promising. These writers have carefully crafted a story (I will prove it to you) that has been developing since House of M and is still going on. The Avenger side of the Marvel Universe claim that the story of Siege was building for 10 years or so, but let’s be honest, it was from Civil War on.  The X-Men are on their 5^th year of being endangered.

X-Necrosha (Hardcover) – Review

writers: Mike Carey, Craig Kyle, Zeb Wells, Christopher Yost

pencils: Kalman Andrasofszky, Carlo Barberi, Clayton Crain, Leonardo Manco, Clay Mann, Diogenes Neves, Mike Norton, Ibraim Roberson, Mateus Santolouco, Alina Urusov

Necrosha, an X-Force story that affected both New Mutants and X-Men: Legacy as well, was criticized for being the Blackest Night of the Marvel Universe—an unfair criticism if anyone cares to follow the plot threads that started far back in New X-Men, or even just from the first issue of X-Force. But whether or not this mini-event was a rip off of Blackest Night or not, Necrosha still needs to be able to stand on its own. So, as a story, does it hold up well or was it pumped up for no reason? The answer to that is a little confusing. As the single issues were being released, Necrosha was not getting the best of reviews. It was condemned for being too long, for having too much filler, for needless tie-ins, and sub par art. I’ll admit that for all but that last point, I was feeling the same way until the last two issues of the main event where the X-Force finally did something. Those were my initial feelings. The hardcover collection of X Necrosha changed a lot of my animosities towards the event.

There’s a lot to cover in this. And before I get into any of the stories, the first thing I want to point out is the price of the set—$39.99 might seem like a lot, but you’re actually getting about fifty dollars of comics (a little over, actually). When the trade paperback of this comes out at 34.99, it’ll be even more of a deal, but for five dollars more the hardcover is definitely worth it. What’s included in this is the Necrosha one-shot that starts all three stories, Necrosha: The Gathering one shot, introducing the merry band of murdering mutants, X-Force 11, 21-25, X-Men: Legacy 231-234, New Mutants 6-8, New X-Men 32 and “UnDeadpool” from X-Force Annual 1. That’s a pretty good listing. And like I said, it gives quite a lot to cover.

Let’s start with the main event, taking place in X-Force. This received the most criticism by far, but looking back it’s a lot stronger than I remember it to be. The story is…actually not that simple. Selene, former Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, wants to make herself a goddess by absorbing the souls of dead mutants. To do this, she has to resurrect them first and do some kind of ancient spell. Unfortunately for her, Warpath is holding one of the key ingredients to this—a dagger carved from the bones of her mother. So Selene sends her army of undead mutants to Utopia to basically piss everyone off and torment Emma Frost with her dead Hellions. The X-Force must band together to stop her. Meanwhile, Elixir is still recovering from the events of Messiah War and Rhane Sinclair is dying after getting knocked up by Asgardian Wolf Prince Hrimhari (even if they are of Norse legend, you still gotta use a condom people). Hrimhari, or as Warpath calls him, Wolf-guy, calls upon Hela to save Rhane and the child, but is forced to choose one in return for his own soul. He pulls a fastball and chooses Elixir, waking our favorite golden healer from his coma, who then saves Rhane and unborn child. Fast-thinking, Wolf-Guy. Or course, Vanisher makes his return to X-Force only to find out that Elixir already took a tumor out of him, but sticks around anyway.

Red Robin #11 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (penciller), Ray McCarthy and Mark McKenna (inkers), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Collision, Part Three of Four: Red Robin, Batgirl and Pru are getting their hats handed to them by the seven deadliest killers of the League of Assassins. In the meantime, Ra’s al Ghul is making his play to hurt Red Robin real bad, by striking at the 10 people most important to him. Batman and Robin show up, but a whole different set of conflicts messes that up, and this becomes a story about trust.

What’s Good: Get back on the roller-coaster! Red Robin is back in the zone! What a fun issue! Red Robin lost a bit of its momentum after issue #7, but baby, it’s back! You want assassin-superhero slapdowns? You want a sausage-shaped torpedo bike running over people? You want snipers and ninjas? Shuriken, staffs, whips, guns, batarangs and grenades, oh my! I’ve got that summer blockbuster feeling again. Thank you, Chris Yost for the action, the great conflict, the boiling tension and awesome dialogue.

Red Robin #8 – Review

By: Chris Yost (writer), Marcus To (penciller), Ray McCarthy (inker)

The Story: Council of Spiders, Part Four of Four: Ra’s al Ghul is dead on the floor. The League of Assassins has been outmaneuvered. The Council of Spiders outnumber Red Robin seven to one. Welcome to page one. Now scores get settled.

What’s Good: I’ve compared the feel of Yost’s Red Robin arcs to a summer blockbuster and this last act is no exception. The excitement is tense and for most of the issue, even after the outcome is called, I saw no way out for poor Tim Drake. He is seriously, seriously outclassed and he’s stuck protecting a civilian. The sparse writing complements the action by giving us just what we need to understand the story, but nothing more; Yost keeps us guessing to the very end. The development of Tim’s coming of age arc finishes in this issue too. He is wearing some awfully big boots, facing people who would have given even Bruce Wayne himself pause. Tim brings together all the teachings and advice he has received from so many different mentors, and integrates it into who he is going to be as an adult. Action and character development come together and solve what is wrong in the world. Very satisfying.

Marcus To literally had to draw a book full of action. There’s barely a panel that isn’t about the fight or watching the fight or reacting to the fight. There are a lot of combatants, yet the action is clear and clean. I really enjoyed where To blurred some of the lines and colors to show the speed of the battle.

X-Force Annual #1 – Review

Main Story by Robert Kirkman (Writer), Jason Pearson (Art), and Dave Stewart (Colors)

“Undeadpoool” by Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (Writers), Carlo Barberi (Pencils), Sandu Florea (Inks), and Edgar Delgado (Colors)

The Story: Robert Kirkman’s story that takes up the bulk of the X-Force Annual is about Wolverine breaking into a Hydra base in order to locate a target that Cyclops needs brought back alive. “Undeadpool” is a short, humorous side story to the attack on Utopia that’s taking place in the X-Necrosha crossover books.

What’s Good: Robert Kirkman’s violent, yet fairly lighthearted, Wolverine story that leads the X-Force Annual is a satisfying piece of entertainment. It doesn’t really break any new ground, but thanks to some funny Wolverine lines and a conclusion that gives the whole thing some dramatic weight, Kirkman’s tale is, ultimately, worth checking out at some point. As far as the visuals are concerned, Jason Pearson’s rough, slightly exaggerated style does justice to the type of brutal, yet comedic violence that Kirkman’s script calls for. As everyone knows, Wolverine can take a beating as well as dish one out and Pearson makes sure to highlight that fact throughout the story.

Red Robin #6 – Review

by Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (pencils), Ray McCarthy (inks), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: Council of Spiders, Part II: Yost keeps us jumping in space and time, showing us Red Robin’s operational leadership of the League of Assassins, more of the international past of Vitoria and the present of Vicki Vale in Gotham. Red Robin is playing a pretty dangerous game by discovering all he can of the League of Assassins for his later use, by searching for traitors in the League and by setting traps for the Council of Spiders. In the background is his search for Bruce Wayne.

What’s Good: Red Robin the series continues to feel like a summer blockbuster and this issue keeps up the pace and fills in the gaps in the story. The tension is palpable as the plot threads converge. I’m glad my faith in Yost paid off and he explained more of Vitoria in this issue. I also can’t stop watching Tim take on the League and the Council by himself. It’s a dizzying high-wire act, making this one of my favorite books in my pull stack.

The art, shading and color are all well done. The characters are all cleanly shown and well proportioned. The layouts keep up with Yost’s frenetic scene switching and all of the action sequences. To give you a feel of what the art team pulls off, they bring Yost’s story to life as it jumps from philandering wives, killer ninjas, international assassins, monsters, gunfire, and dizzying rescues to a final confrontation with the villain.

What’s Not So Good: Neither a toxic Brazilian babe nor spiders crawling over my eyeballs could get a complaint out of me this month. (Check out the book if you want to see those things)

Conclusion: Red Robin is pulling ahead of the competition and it is now the first thing I read. Tim has a mystery quest on his hands and has only his wits to save him from the danger besetting him on all sides. Check it out!

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

 

New Mutants/X-Force/X-Men Legacy: Necrosha One-Shot – Review

Necrosha: Chapter 1 by Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (Writers) and Clayton Crain (Art)

Necrosha: Binary by Zeb Wells (Writer), Ibraim Roberson (Art), and John Rauch (Colors)

Necrosha: The Foretelling by Mike Carey (Writer), Laurence Campbell (Art), and Matt Milla (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Since the first chapter of Necrosha takes up the bulk of the one-shot, I will use the regular review format for it. The two smaller chapters that lead into the stories that connect X-Force to New Mutants and X-Men: Legacy will get capsule reviews. Also, as a side note, be sure to read the one-shot after reading X-Force #20 (which I’ll be reviewing by the end of the release week), but before reading New Mutants #6. While it’s not entirely necessary to read X-Force #20, a few scenes simply won’t make much sense unless you do.

“Necrosha: Chapter One”

The Story: Selene builds up her army using an altered version of the techno-organic virus that Bastion has been using and makes her first move against those that have stopped her in the past.

What’s Good: New Mutants/X-Force/X-Men Legacy: Necrosha is, in many ways, a typical Marvel “hey it’s crossover time!” one-shot. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, however, as Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost do a really nice job of finding a balance between getting readers up to speed and getting the Necrosha crossover rolling in a positive direction that makes it seem like Necrosha will be quite the treat for most “X” fans. And, in all honesty, that’s half the battle.

The best thing about the book is that, from start to finish, both visually and as far as the dialogue is concerned, the Necrosha one-shot carries an ominous, creepy tone that never really lets up. I’m all about mood and setting the stage and Yost, Kyle, and Clayton Crain nail it as far as the total creative package is concerned. Even when Kyle and Yost throw in some banter and one-liners, the first chapter of Necrosha manages to really drive home the point that stuff is about to “get real” as all the kids say these days.

Another high point is that the writers instill a real sense of history, as far as lives lived, into the story through both Selene and the various characters that are infected with the “T-O” virus. From Selene’s dialogue about her past to the conversations that take place between the formerly dead and the living, it’s clear that Kyle and Yost did the homework necessary to give Necrosha that extra bit of weight and depth. It’s that something that can turn a solid story into a good, or even great, story.

Visually, Clayton Crain’s artwork is near perfect as far as mood and tone is concerned. It’s dark, it’s heavy, and it expertly captures the horror movie vibe that permeates throughout the entire book. While Crain’s work is definitely flawed (which I’ll get to in a moment), a few scenes, like the birth that opens the book or the arrival of Selene’s army near Utopia for example, show that Clayton Crain is definitely the right artist for the crossover.

What’s Not So Good: There’s a lot to like about the first chapter of Necrosha, but, unfortunately, there’s quite a bit to dislike about it as well. While the good outweighs the bad, nearly every negative is directly related one of the start of the crossover’s strong points. It makes Necrosha: Chapter One feel rather uneven.

The ominous, creepy tone I talked about earlier? It’s certainly a highlight and quite effective…until you realize that the deadly seriousness leads to a number of groan-worthy lines of dialogue (“She sent us here to remind you of that…And to make you suffer!”) that tend to fall extremely flat. In addition, the seriousness makes some of the banter and humor feel wildly out of place. I’m all for lightening the mood, but the swing from horror to comic book fun and back again is a bit jarring.

Another part that didn’t bode well is the sense of history that Yost and Kyle use to the advantage of their story. It makes some portions of the comic feel too heavy on exposition. It’s understandable considering that chances are good that a large portion of the Necrosha audience isn’t going to know who a handful of the characters are, but it’s also rather annoying.

Clayton Crain’s fitting artwork? It is…well…Clayton Crain artwork. Now I truly find Crain’s work to be absolutely stunning when everything about it comes together. When it doesn’t, however Crain’s work can look muddy, overly dark, and, at worst, totally incoherent. Unfortunately, a large part of the first Necrosha chapter is pretty tough to follow due to Crain’s style. A number of characters look exactly the same (Wolverine? Shaw? Pierce? – Selene? X-23, a Hellion?) and while hairstyle and context make it fairly easy to sort out who’s who, it shouldn’t be a chore to keep characters straight. Also, some of the action that takes place is so darkly colored that it’s next to impossible to figure out what, exactly, is happening.

“Binary”

The Story: Binary is “turned on” by the T-O virus and helps Selene’s slaves get inside Utopia.

The Good And The Bad: I don’t know if this is really a negative (it could be considered to be since it’s not the main event), but Binary is actually the best thing about the Necrosha one-shot as a whole. It’s an extremely good short story all around. Roberson’s detailed artwork is impressive, John Rauch’s colors elevate Roberson’s work to another level, the binary code framed panels are a great touch, and Zeb Wells’ story does a great job reintroducing the character.

“The Foretelling”

The Story: Selene calls on The Crone to learn the future. The Crone then contacts her daughter.

The Good And The Bad: Laurence Campbell’s gritty artwork feels a bit out of place the book, but it still winds up being a nice fit for Mike Carey’s unsettling character piece. I’ve always liked Blindfold and her interaction with her mother does an excellent job of adding another layer of uncertainty to the start of the Necrosha crossover. While I wish there was a bit more to it, the important stuff manages to make quite an impact.

Conclusion: While the first chapter of Necrosha has a few problems it’s still a strong start to what looks to be a memorable crossover. As for the one-shot as a whole, thanks to two excellent bonus stories, the book is a surprisingly great package.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Red Robin #5 – Review

By Christopher Yost (writer), Ramon Bachs (artist), Guy Major (colors and digital inks), Mike Marts (editor)

The Story: Tim Wayne, formerly Robin, now the Red Robin, has been traveling all over the world, looking for clues for his crazy theory that Bruce Wayne, his adoptive father, is alive. The only one to believe him so far is Batman’s arch-enemy. The last issue ended with Red Robin being stabbed and left for dead. In this issue, things get worse.

What’s Good: Issue after issue, Tim Wayne is being pushed out of the comfortable world of fellow heroes by his irrational disbelief in his adoptive father’s death. This has made him more alone than most characters I can think of, and has forced him into an alliance with someone totally out of his ability to handle: Ra’s al Ghul. Yost makes us feel not only Tim’s loneliness, but also his discomfort around strangers he cannot trust. That is a universal childhood and coming of age experience and shows where Yost is taking us with Tim.

These coming of age and loss of father themes are rising in a number of books out of the wreckage of the Battle for the Cowl, most especially for the “four brothers” Wayne (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Wayne, Damian Wayne). Tim’s journey here is not just a journey to manhood independent of the father, but independent of the new patriarch and of his society. The new and former Batgirls face similar struggles in new roles in a world without Bruce Wayne and this all points to an impressive cohesiveness of editorial vision between Marts and Siglain.

The art team is a flawless choice for this book. Bachs has become increasingly skilled at making Tim muscular, but still youthful. In the beginning of the series, it was easy to mistake him for a man, especially in his new cowl. Now, in costume and out, he’s quite obviously a teenager trying to pretend he’s not out of his depth.

What’s Not So Good: Yost really loves his temporal jumps in Red Robin and they can become a bit disorienting. A flashback as an occasionally-used tool can be effective. When overused, or experienced through multiple characters, they can make the story less clear or pull the reader away from what makes the story great. A step too far, in my opinion, was the introduction of Vitoria in Brazil in some indistinct past, without enough context to really add her to the story. However, these are small points, and some might argue, stylistic, in a much larger success.

Conclusion: The Red Robin series feels like a monthly dose of a summer block-buster: action-packed and thrill-jammed. Check it out!

Grade: B

-DS Arsenault

Titans #16 – Review

By Christopher Yost (writer), Angel Unzueta (artist), Wayne Faucher (inker), Edgar Delgado (colorist)

The Story: The Titans book continues to examine its characters one by one. This issue is about Starfire talking to a therapist. As uninspiring as that sounds, Yost and Unzueta carry us through the logical fallout of what Starfire has suffered not only in pitched war with Darkseid, Trigon, Jericho and others, but much farther back, right to the basics.

What’s Good: As I said in my last Titans review, if you wanted to get into the Titans, now is the time to do it. These self-contained stories are very forgiving to the new reader. As they did with Cyborg and Tempest, DC carries us through a complete arc with Starfire. This is a good character study, starting from denial and moving to acceptance. Yost does a good at storytelling, making us feel the difficulty that Starfire goes experiences.

Deeper than that arc, though, is a win that I think is not easy to do in comics. Many writers have penned Starfire over the years, from her start as a young alien visitor to Earth, through revelations of her tragic past, through love and breakup from Dick Grayson, to control by Jericho and Darkseid. When you add it all up, it’s a lot of disjointed, disconnected suffering. Too few writers take the time to pull those different experiences together and say, “What does it mean to the hero who has gone through all this?” Yost does that here, and in fact, what is more compelling is that he resists the temptation to knit the fabric back together again. Starfire is broken and this issue is about getting from denial to broken; leaving future writers with a lot of scope for this character.

What’s Not So Good: I’m going to take a swing at the art here. First, Unzueta and Faucher have a bit of a plastic style that is effective enough. However, given that this is really a character story, I don’t think the command of expressions and poses and emotions was subtle enough for what Yost was trying to do. That being said, it might just be a mispairing of artist to story. I get the impression that Unzueta would draw a dynamic slugfest.

Secondly, while I like to look at pretty girls as much as the next guy, I think there’s an element of overdoing it with Starfire that goes qualitatively beyond what artists do with Powergirl. For the most part, Starfire’s costume doesn’t do as much clothing duty as teasing duty. While this is nothing new for her (her costume hasn’t changed since 1980), given the depth of the story Yost was trying to tell, the T&A was a creative hindrance. I know this art team didn’t design her costume, and that Titan books must be sold to pre-pubescent boys, but Wolfman and Perez put her in a sweater and jeans when she wasn’t adventuring, especially when they were striving for meaningful stories.

Conclusion: A fair book. I like what Yost is doing and hope to see where the writers take Starfire next.

Grade: C+

-DS Arsenault

X-Force #17 – Review

By Craig Kyle & Cristopher Yost (Writers) and Mike Choi & Sonia Oback (Artists)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The less said about the Messiah War, the better. I still have *shiver* flashbacks from the trenches. So instead of diving into my nightmares, let’s just move forward…

The Story: X-23 attempts to rescue Boom-Boom from the Leper Queen and, as a result, becomes a H.A.M.M.E.R. prisoner.Meanwhile, Rahne Sinclair and Hrimhari are attacked by Frost Giants. Hellion and Surge are helped by Wolverine and Archangel, but Surge can’t seem to control her powers. As for Domino, she arrives back in the present just in time to see…

What’s Good: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost write the latest issue of X-Force as though the Messiah War never even took place. A good move that I appreciate quite a bit, especially since it allows the writers to hit the ground running at almost the same speed they were traveling before a brick wall (roughly the size of the Great Wall and with the words “Messiah “War” painted on it) got in the way. The story by Kyle and Yost is frantic, violent, and pretty thrilling, just like an X-Force story should be.

I didn’t realize how much I missed the work of Mike Choi and Sonia Oback until now. The artwork in X-Force #17 is sleek, detailed, attractive, clean, and clear. In other words, it looks much better than the work done for the last few issues of the series. A few scenes, like the Frost Giant attack or the final spread, are great to look at and show the range Choi and Oback are capable of.

What’s Not So Good: The only real problem I have with X-Force #17 is that its storyline never really comes together all that well. It’s a bunch of little segments that continue where the series left off months ago, but it never completely stops feeling disjointed and jerky. It brings a bit of closure to the recent past and sets things up for the future, but there just isn’t a whole lot to really chew on as far as story is concerned. Understandable, but not exactly satisfying.

Conclusion: It’s nice to see X-Force get back into the swing of things. Once it settles down a bit, I’m sure the series will regain its spot as one of the best “X” books

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny